Sizing jacket bullets

[abunaitoo]

I'm not sure if I need to yet, but I might need to size a jacket bullet from 224 to 223.
I was wondering if the NOE bushing sizer would be strong enough to do the job.
They have a listing for a 223 air gun body bushing.

[Shawlerbrook]

If you are not in a hurry Lee will make you a 223 Sizing die.

[TexasGrunt]

I have to ask why?

[BK7saum]

I wouldn't. You will likely get springback of the copper jacket which would allow the core to possibly be loose inside the jacket and result in Concentricity issues.

It can be done, but may be detrimental to accuracy of that particular bullet

[Little Oak]

Agreeing with BK7saum, it's not usually a god idea to size down jacketed bullets like lead bullets due to jacket/core separation. If an odd sized jacketed bullet is needed for some special project then it's preferred to swage up a smaller diameter bullet to the size needed.
In this case there don't seem to be really any viable options and anyway .223" bullets are available from most of the major makers, albeit in the lighter weights for old hornets, etc.
Otherwise go the whole hog and use a suitable lead bullet, gas checked if necessary.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

+1 texasgrunt, unless a .224 won't chamber, just load and shoot letting the barrel size the bullet. Much information on shooting greatly oversized jacketed bullets out there. Sizing jacketed bullets smaller can be done with decent shooting results, good lubrication for sizing helps. Many match shooters use very small .30 barrels (.306?) for use with .308 diameter ammunition issued for use by all competitors in a match. Of course, start low and work up.

[abunaitoo]

Helping a friend shoot his 5.7 Johnson Carbine.
Read on the web that some of them came with small barrels.
.224 size bullets are known to cause over pressure, and poor accuracy.
Recommended is .223 or 223.5.
I have a few 45gr 223.5 size bullets.
I'd like to try some 40gr.
More selection of 224 bullets than 223.

[ulav8r]

Since there is no factory ammunition, shooting oversize bullets will not increase pressure in a worked up load. The rule to follow is always go back to minimum starting point when changing ANY component. Never use any max load without working up from minimum.

Yes, a large bullet may sho2 increased pressure over a small bullet max in someone else's gun, but those loads should never be used in any gun other than the one they were developed in. They may not even be safe in the same gun if the person developing the load is like many loaders who consider a load safe if it does not destroy the gun on the first shot.

[Kenstone]

I'm not sure if I need to yet, but I might need to size a jacket bullet from 224 to 223.
I was wondering if the NOE bushing sizer would be strong enough to do the job.
They have a listing for a 223 air gun body bushing.
I believe jacketed bullets are sized by pushing thru a die as part of the manufacturing process, and don't see any problem with your plan.
Why not ask NOE about the strength of their bushings to resize jacketed bullets.
jmo
:mrgreen:

[abunaitoo]

Posted it on the NOE forum.
Nothing yet.

[country gent]

I believe that it could be done but your going to also need a pretty heavy press. These will size harder than a cast bullet does. What I would consider is a heavy press one of the newer ones with the 1 1/2 12 or 14 bushing. Make a sizer die body with the 1 1/2 die body, the extra dia will help with spring and swell of the die body. I would also consider silver soldering a carbide ring in and grinding it to size and a good diamond polish. A 1* lead into the die will also help alighn and reduce effort. The pusher will need to be dead flat and a close fit to the die. A hardened steel die may pick up copper scrub and get very sticky. I believe a die with a 1/2" -3/4" at .224- .2245 lead in to alighn the die, 1* lead to .223 1/2 - 5/8 long then relieved to .230-.235 out the die should work nicely. If sizing soft points then you don't want to push one out with the next either until its into the relieved section or damaged points will result. What would be ideal would be after resizing is to run into a point form die to just bump the nose solidly, this will correct any deformation in the nose and also help lock the core back in tight again if it loosens.

[Pressman]

5.7 Johnson ammunition. Necked down 30 Carbine from the late 1960's. Not many of them around, but knowing what a hoot it is shooting the 30 Carbine Blackhawk this ought to be even more fun. If I had the $$$ to build one.
Ken

198912

198913

[NSB]

Smokeless muzzle loader shooters size jacketed bullets all the time. There are a couple of companies out there who sell sizing dies for jacketed bullets. You can size them in a regular single stage press or buy an arbor press to do it. Visit http://dougsmessageboards.proboards.com/board/23/savage-smokeless-muzzleloading and read the posts in there about it. They work just fine.

[BK7saum]

I believe jacketed bullets are sized by pushing thru a die as part of the manufacturing process, and don't see any problem with your plan.
Why not ask NOE about the strength of their bushings to resize jacketed bullets.
jmo
:mrgreen:

My understanding is that jacketed bullets are not sized (decreasing their diameter) but swaged (increasing their diameter ) by compressing the lead core to expand the jacket to the diameter of the inside of the swage die. The jacket material is more elastic than the pure or antimonial lead used for the core. When swaged up in diameter the jacket and core are a tight fit because the jacket is actually stretched around the core. When bullets are sized down, the lead core is compressed but the bullet jacket is elastic enough to spring back and can possibly result in accuracy issues. It is done and I have sized down 0.410 xtp bullets for a 401WSL. I dId not need or expect match grade accuracy. I want my scoped rifles to shoot the very best possible and would not size down bullets for a rifle I wanted 0.5MOA accuracy or less out of. If this is a gun that 2-3 MOA is acceptable out of, I say go ahead, you probably won't be able to tell the difference.